


Running Out of Time

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Challenge Response, Community: stargateland, Games, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-31
Updated: 2011-05-31
Packaged: 2017-10-19 23:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/206267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Rodney are in a bit of a tight spot</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running Out of Time

**Author's Note:**

> For the Stargateland Theme Week, with the prompt "36- SGA, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Running out of time"

"Rodney." John's voice took on his usual warning edge as he glanced over at the fumbling scientist.

Rodney didn't look up, but managed to stammer, "I- I- I'm working- I'm-"

John finally lost his patience. "Rodney!"

"Okay, yelling doesn't help! Believe it or not, I am trying as hard as I can!"

"Well _as hard as you can_ doesn't seem to be enough," John snapped.

Rodney finally looked up, switching from panicked to annoyed in a microsecond. "Oh, yes, this is a fun game to play when lives are on the line. Let's heckle the scientist and distract him so that it takes twice as long to save you from yet another problem you've gotten us into."

"I got us into nothing," John replied, taking out an enemy who got within his range. "I simply suggested that we check out the abandoned building because it might provide good cover while we sort things out."

"You thought we might find a clue to this mythical native treasure in here, which, FYI, I'm not seeing!"

"You're supposed to be seeing a defused bomb," John replied calmly, taking another shot at the milling natives, "and I said nothing about treasure."

"You were thinking it," Rodney snapped.

John spared his partner a scathing glance before refocusing on his gun sights. "You have no way of knowing that for sure. And anyways, _I'm_ not the one who tripped the alarm."

"Th- Th- That is completely irrelevant!"

"Then do your job and finish disarming the damn trap, MCKAY!" John yelled.

"Stop SHOUTING!" Rodney yelled back. "I've told you, it doesn't help! Shouting doesn't fix anything!"

John carefully did not shout. "Well fix it faster, then." He fired off another round at an inquisitive native and then quickly reloaded.

"I told you, I am working on it, but this thing was written in some kind of- of- of code or something, but everything I have tried to decode it has j- just given me gibberish!"

"Well decode the gibberish and fix it," John used his most reasonable McKay-nudging tone. "We have to get past this obstacle, find the- alright, yes, find the treasure, and then hump it back home. And we have to get it done in the next thirty-five minutes, remember? We're running out of time, McKay!"

"Fine, why don't _you_ just disarm the bomb!" McKay huffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"McKay!" John watched in horror as the controller slipped from his partner's hand and flew across the room, hitting the wall with a dull thump.

On the large screen in front of them, the pixilated versions of the two men dissolved into an impressive fireball.

"Dang it, Rodney!" John threw his own controller across the room. "Now we're out of lives! It took us two days to get this far!"

"Well it wasn't like we were going to get to the ending in the next thirty minutes. We've got to report for the briefing on M78-TX5 at 1420 hours!"

John pouted for a moment, but finally gave in with a sigh. "Alright, fine, but when we're on M7-whatever, check all rooms for booby traps before you enter, okay?"


End file.
